Is USC’s Water Polo Dynasty In Jeopardy? UCLA Takes Top Spot in Coaches Poll For First Time in Two Years

LOS ANGELES, California, September 27. FOR the first time in nearly two years, the University of Southern California’s men’s water polo team is not the best in the United States — at least, not according to a new coaches poll.

After losing to UCLA 9-8 in last weekend’s NorCal tournament, the USC Trojans ended a 41-game winning streak that went back to November 2011, which was also the last time the team was not on top of the Collegiate Water Polo Association’s poll of college coaches.

UCLA now has the opportunity to boast supremacy over its crosstown rival after years of defeat at the hands of the Trojans. USC has won the past five NCAA water polo titles, which is a record. Though in-season matches are not often an indicator of postseason performance, it does appear that USC’s national title dynasty will face a tough challenge this year. Last year’s national title had some drama, as USC won in a nailbiter over UCLA.

CWPA Coaches Poll, Week of September 23
(Number after team name indicates poll ranking last week)

1 University of California-Los Angeles (2)
2 University of Southern California (1)
3 Stanford University (5)
4 University of California (4)
5 University of the Pacific (3)
6 University of California-Santa Barbara (6)
7 Long Beach State University (9)
8 Loyola Marymount University (8)
9 Pepperdine University (10)
10 University of California-Irvine (7)
11 (T) Concordia University (16)
11 (T) Princeton University (13)
13 University of California-Davis (12)
14 University of California-San Diego (11)
15 Santa Clara University (15)
16 St. Francis College Brooklyn (14)
17 Brown University (17)
18 University of Redlands (19)
19 George Washington University (RV)
20 (T) United States Air Force Academy (20)
20 (T) Johns Hopkins University (RV)
RV Bucknell University (18)
RV Harvard University (NR)
RV Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (NR)
RV United States Naval Academy (RV)
RV Mercyhurst University (RV)

RV = Received Votes
NR = Not Ranked

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